cp-the-nerd

Lmao, are you flirting with me or having a stroke? It's ok though, GM equally screwed the pooch when they priced the ELR at $75,000 the first year. I mean it's still overpriced now, but it's much faster and $10k cheaper than it was.

Lets be real here. Most luxury brands already offer some level of high-end customer service, and many car brands already offer 1 year or more of routine maintenance. The cost is built into the standard luxury markup. An MKZ's markup over the Fusion is already a bitter pill for many to swallow, but to charge even more under the guise of luxury service? Not buying it. How many rentals, oil changes, and car washes does it take to make a few thousand dollars worth while? I'll definitely agree with everybody that the Black Label interior should be standard. If they're trying to be a luxury brand they should have an upgraded interior where nobody will question the quality. Nobody will sit in and think "Fusion" at all. I don't doubt they do offer some kind of service but..what kind? I honestly don't know. I doubt the average BMW/MB/Audi dealers offer free car washes and yearly detail jobs. Oil changes on luxury cars(which they will also be performing all of the service at the X mile ilterval) are no less than 100bucks at a dealer. Plus you add in(as an example) tire rotation(common) and coolant flush at 50k miles along with maybe the serpentine belt replacement. I realize most serviceing is overkill on things like a coolant flush at 50k miles(or things of the like) but if you have EVERY service performed come times to sell or trade in it has to increase its resale value. I also realize the other luxo brands offer maintenance programs and such but I think that's the point. They are showing they are a true luxury car company(whether they are there or not is another topic). I appreciate what you're saying, but it still comes down to a $55,000 FWD-based midsize car. I wouldn't spend that on a Cadillac XTS or Lexus ES and they're full size with black label comparable interiors. There are levels of the MKZ that I like, particularly 3.7L models without a bunch of fluff. It's a perfectly good Acura alternative from $38-45k. I can agree with that. And I do know that if I had 55k to spend on a car.. it isn't going to be a Lincoln. And for the reasons you just stated(mostly the FWD based). Isn't 55k 5 Series/E Class territory? Yeah, pricing is in a different class. If I want to be a real dick about the Lincoln pricing, I can point out that for $55,000 you can buy a Fusion 2.0T with leather AND a Fusion 1.5T lower trim. But I wont because I'm a gentlemen.

Lets be real here. Most luxury brands already offer some level of high-end customer service, and many car brands already offer 1 year or more of routine maintenance. The cost is built into the standard luxury markup. An MKZ's markup over the Fusion is already a bitter pill for many to swallow, but to charge even more under the guise of luxury service? Not buying it. How many rentals, oil changes, and car washes does it take to make a few thousand dollars worth while? I'll definitely agree with everybody that the Black Label interior should be standard. If they're trying to be a luxury brand they should have an upgraded interior where nobody will question the quality. Nobody will sit in and think "Fusion" at all. I don't doubt they do offer some kind of service but..what kind? I honestly don't know. I doubt the average BMW/MB/Audi dealers offer free car washes and yearly detail jobs. Oil changes on luxury cars(which they will also be performing all of the service at the X mile ilterval) are no less than 100bucks at a dealer. Plus you add in(as an example) tire rotation(common) and coolant flush at 50k miles along with maybe the serpentine belt replacement. I realize most serviceing is overkill on things like a coolant flush at 50k miles(or things of the like) but if you have EVERY service performed come times to sell or trade in it has to increase its resale value. I also realize the other luxo brands offer maintenance programs and such but I think that's the point. They are showing they are a true luxury car company(whether they are there or not is another topic). I appreciate what you're saying, but it still comes down to a $55,000 FWD-based midsize car. I wouldn't spend that on a Cadillac XTS or Lexus ES and they're full size with black label comparable interiors. There are levels of the MKZ that I like, particularly 3.7L models without a bunch of fluff. It's a perfectly good Acura alternative from $38-45k.

The Cadillac brand sold 14,154 cars. Lincoln sold 9,536 at lower transaction prices and they continue getting mediocre to poor reviews. Let that sink in for a while.

Yes but, the open top feeling far offsets the absolutely minimal impact on vehicle dynamics that nobody could probably ever detect without digitial equipment to measure some metrics or data. I'm pretty sure even a prius owner would be able to tell the dynamic difference of 300 lbs on the roof.

Lets be real here. Most luxury brands already offer some level of high-end customer service, and many car brands already offer 1 year or more of routine maintenance. The cost is built into the standard luxury markup. An MKZ's markup over the Fusion is already a bitter pill for many to swallow, but to charge even more under the guise of luxury service? Not buying it. How many rentals, oil changes, and car washes does it take to make a few thousand dollars worth while?

Is the new MKX on sale now? Selling 7500 between their 3 volume models isn't too shabby. Looking forward to new powertrains in the MKZ when it's refreshed.

Sums it up pretty well.

The carbon spoiler is part of the aero sport package. Otherwise the spoiler is optional.

Road & Track: 0-60: 3.5 sec 0-100: 7.4 sec 1/4 mile: 11.6 @ 126 Lat grip: .98g http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/a26226/2016-cadillac-cts-v-instrumented-test-results/

When the MKZ gets a refresh, I want to see a lowered, 2.7EB AWD model with a brake/handling package in the $45k range. Showroom needs some excitement.

I search used listings for V6 CTS Sport Wagons. I'd totally make the trade out of my Malibu at the right price.

VIDEO!! http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/31/2016-cadillac-cts-v-first-drive/#slide-3563296

Well that is about fully loaded though.. There isn't a whole lot to add to the Z71, I don't think at least. You can take the Z to over $50K. There was a gazillion boxes I could check. It was a base Z71 model. That is not a f@#king "base" model, Jesus dude. Crew cab + 4WD + Z71 + convenience pkg is not base. The Z71 is the TOP TRIM level. All those other boxes you can check off are extraneous truck accessories. You can tack on $10,000 worth of BS to any truck. And I say again, base Z71 model, which means I did not add some of the many options to it, which would make it a loaded Z71 model. Well in that case, a "base model" F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 4WD FX4 501A Pkg costs $49k. Really puts the value in perspective, huh?

Car & Driver *Not at C&D testing facility, at media track day, final numbers may vary like with the ATS-V* 0-60: 3.6 sec 0-100: 7.5 sec 1/4 mile: 11.8 @ 124 mph Lat grip: .98 g http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-cadillac-cts-v-test-review

Well that is about fully loaded though.. There isn't a whole lot to add to the Z71, I don't think at least. You can take the Z to over $50K. There was a gazillion boxes I could check. It was a base Z71 model. That is not a f@#king "base" model, Jesus dude. Crew cab + 4WD + Z71 + convenience pkg is not base. The Z71 is the TOP TRIM level. All those other boxes you can check off are extraneous truck accessories. You can tack on $10,000 worth of BS to any truck.

Problem with the fancy roof is that it adds what 300 lbs to the vehicle? And it's all on top of the car, so the handling and center of gravity are directly impacted. With AWD and the glass roof, it weighs like 4200 lbs. A midsize car!! At that weight you're losing 2+ mpg and about half a second in acceleration vs a FWD V6.

I still maintain that you buy to a price limit. Someone getting a $31k Colorado diesel would have spent $31k on something else. The difference is the options they were willing to trade off to get the diesel instead. In that case, you reap the benefits of fuel economy immediately. Seriously who is car shopping like "Hmm, my budget is $27,000. Unless it's a diesel, then my budget is $31,000 because I'll make back that money."

Think about exceeding the mileage ratings in this when they come out, like most diesels do.. That'd probably be in the..31..mpg highway range? Just trying to compare to the 3/0 from Ram which is rated at 29mpg highway. Maybe this little Duramax can hit 32-33mpg cruising at reasonable speeds. Agreed that the premium for a diesel make the break even point quite a few miles/years to where it really isn't worth it unless you're putting some serious miles in annually. I disagree with the break-even logic. You can drive the truck till the wheels fall off and reap tons of benefits of higher lifetime fuel economy...OR you can sell it and get back a chunk of the money because the diesel is worth more. It's not like the $3730 extra just evaporates when you drive the truck off the lot, waiting for gas benefits to cancel it out.

Pricing is fantastic! This midsize truck keeps getting better, it's going to be a very attractive truck option for families on a budget with moderate towing needs. With the fuel economy they're going to post, it's just as good as a daily driver too.

How do you even argue with Stephen Hawking?? The man says skynet is around the corner, you don't just take it into consideration, you f@#king burn the weapon plans on the spot. If he told me the world was about to rip in half, I'd ask which side has the better view and start making arrangements.

This is a Black Label though.. I think they are pretty much loaded to the gills already. Plus, with this being a Black Label there are other benefits that go well beyond the vehicle price itself. http://www.lincoln.com/blacklabel/memberprivileges/ Beyond $50k, I'm not remotely interested in this car unless they put the 2.7EB under the hood.

The way to get an MKZ is to keep the options under control. Skip the ridiculous panoramic sliding glass roof thing and premium packages. You can get a decent 3.7L V6 AWD model with full leather interior for $41k before looking at any incentives.

Only needed one example because your opening line was "Every EcoBoost-powered Ford that we’ve tested, Mustang or otherwise, has either delivered decent fuel economy or served up great power-but never both simultaneously." And it was a C/D review, in July of this year. Well I missed the edit window.. So I'll just post everything seperate.. Only needed one example because your opening line was "Every EcoBoost-powered Ford that we’ve tested, Mustang or otherwise, has either delivered decent fuel economy or served up great power-but never both simultaneously." And my example was a C/D review, in July of this year. Their staff should get on the same page. From that article it seems like they are more upset about packaging rather than the engine itself. And I'll agree. I think Ford's packaging can be really $h!ty. I mean unless you want to custom order a vehicle with the "ala carte" options but then you are definitely paying full MSRP for that. I've tried building Fords online and there seems to be 1 feature I want from each equipment group that totally jacks the price up. Example, I tried to build a MKC online. I wanted the 2.3, AWD. Simple start.. Then it has basically everything I always want at that point exept I wanted to add adaptive cruise control and the larger wheels. Two seperate packages.. 10k to get those two things. F that. Most dealers will work with you on swapping wheels. It's easy money for them. Generally I agree, though. I hate nonsensical packaging.

I think at worst they'll remain steady. American cars are poised to take market share from the Japanese brands, particularly Toyota, as the default reputation of reliability and quality wears out. People are steadily becoming less enamored with the old engineering and poor driving qualities of Toyota's volume models. The Camry and Corolla remain near the top of their segments relying heavily on fleet sales and ignorant consumers. Ford's Ecoboost engines will only improve, the handling and driving dynamics of cars like the Focus, Fusion, and Escape are already some of the best out there.